Surfing The Waves Of True Friendship
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: When Vortech is granted merman powers, he gets a chance to use them to help a teenage girl who has a passion for surfing. Done as a request for Lantern Power. :)


**Lantern Power, who owns Isabel, Sabrina, Katie (different girl, not KatieMae77's OC Katie), and Chris, asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :)**

 **Skylanders belongs to Activision. Lego Dimensions belongs to its respective owners.**

* * *

 **Surfing The Waves Of True Friendship**

Vortech had Kaos pinned to the ground. "Don't. Ever. Come. Near. My. Family. Again," he ground out, his eyes flashing in anger.

Isabel was nearby, shaking her head to get her senses back after a surprise attack from Kaos had knocked her down. The Undead Portal Master then stood up and held up her purple Emerald. "Vortech, give baldy some big air," she said.

He nodded and threw Kaos up into the air with all his might, the villain screaming in anger before Isabel blasted him with her Emerald, making the evil Portal Master fly through the air and land hard back at his lair, which was being demolished by Swarm, Boom Jet, Dive Clops, and Rattle Shake.

Vortech then picked up Isabel. "Izzy, are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

She nodded, smiling at him and touched by his concern. "I'm okay, Vortech," she reassured him. "If anything, just got the wind knocked out of me a little."

He hugged her to him. "Next time he hurts you, or any member of the family, I'll break his arms," he promised firmly.

"Hey, easy," she said softly, rubbing his back, seeing he was upset. "Vortech, take it easy. Deep breaths."

He followed her instructions before looking at her. "Sorry, Izzy. I just don't like it when someone hurts you," he admitted.

"I know, but you know that sometimes I do get hurt on missions," she said. "Even when I'm very careful."

"I know," he said. "Forgive me, Izzy. I'm just being a...what is the term?...a mother hen?"

Isabel giggled. "More like a strong rooster ready to defend his family," she said, giving his stomach a playful poke, making him chuckle. "Come on, why don't we all go for a swim?"

That sounded great and while Isabel swam with her son and Rattle Shake, Vortech was exploring under the water and found something that caught his eye. It was a glowing pearl that was a brilliant white color, whiter than snow. Curious, he reached down and picked it up, deciding he had to show the others.

He surfaced and swam over. "Hey, look what I found," he said, showing his family the glowing pearl.

"Whoa, I've never seen a pearl like that before," Rattle Shake said.

"Look how white it is and how it's glowing," Isabel said. "Could someone have lost it?"

"Maybe Master Eon can tell us," Vortech said before the water around his waist began to glow with the same white glow the pearl was giving off. He gasped as he felt a tingling sensation that ran through his body and shivered, though he noted that the feeling wasn't unpleasant.

A moment later, the sensation vanished and Isabel gasped. "Vortech! You have a tail!" She exclaimed in surprise.

He moved slightly and to his shock, he had a tail just like a merman. "I...I've been turned into a merman?" He asked in shock.

His new tail was dark blue and had white scales here and there like stars. His fins were a dark blue color too and semi-transparent. He cautiously moved his tail and swam in a slow circle around his family, finding it to be like second nature to swim with a tail. "How?" He asked aloud.

Rattle Shake examined the pearl in Vortech's hand. "It must be a magical pearl, kind of like Izzy's Emerald," he said. "And it looks like it granted you the power to turn into a merman."

Vortech nodded slowly, agreeing with the swapper's theory. He then decided to try something and began swimming, finding that not only could he swim fast, but his tail was strong and he felt stronger too. His hands then began glowing and he held them out, seeing the whitish-blue glow gather into an orb in his hands and he carefully tossed it away from him. The orb flew from his hands and crashed into a pile of rocks, knocking them down and making them fly a bit outward as the orb exploded.

Now he went up to the rocks and picked up a large, heavy one. To his shock, he could heft it over his head as if it was a feather. Setting it down carefully, he went to find his family, swimming upwards and not noticing that the water was gathering around him a bit more until he surfaced and a large wave came up behind him so that he was basically riding the wave.

Isabel whistled in awe. "Whoa, I think that pearl gave him some aquatic powers too," she said.

Vortech laughed as he landed lightly near them, surfacing with a huge smile. "I can create water orbs and lift heavy rocks like they were feathers!" He said excitedly. "And look at how fast I can swim!"

He demonstrated, looking as excited as a kid who just got the best present for Christmas. Rattle Shake chuckled as did Isabel when the former villain came back up to them. "How amazing it this?" He asked.

"It's quite amazing," Isabel said with a smile.

Vortech smiled, but then looked at the pearl. "We should give this to Master Eon," he said as he saw his tail transform back into his legs again.

"Or maybe you should keep it," Rattle Shake suggested. "You found it and you've shown us that you're responsible with power. And we trust you too."

"Thank you, Rattle Shake," the former villain said, grateful for the snake's kind words. "But...,"

"You should keep it," came a gentle voice and they saw Master Eon come up to them. He smiled. "Vortech, the pearl you found is a rare one. And it just bonded to you."

They all blinked. "Bonded to me?" The surprised male said.

Isabel gasped, recalling when her Emerald had bonded to her. "When it gave you those new powers," she said. "It bonded to you. Just like how my Emerald bonded to me when I first found it."

"Yes," Master Eon said with a smile. "And I know Vortech will use its power well."

"Well, I'll do my best," Vortech promised.

Smiling, the guardian of Skylands held out a hand. "May I?" He asked gently.

The former villain gave him the pearl and to his surprise, Master Eon used his magic to infuse the pearl into Vortech's helmet. He smiled. "Now it can never be stolen," he said. "Oh, and one more thing, whatever powers it granted you, you can use them at will anytime."

"Like Izzy's Portal Master power?" Rattle Shake asked.

"Yes."

Vortech bowed to Master Eon. "Thank you, Master Eon," he said.

Later on, Vortech was practicing swimming with his new tail and enjoying the perks that it came with. Super strength, super speed, and even some water orbs for defense. He was thrilled and enjoying himself, not realizing that as he was swimming, he was getting farther and farther away from Skylands, but he did find a small hole in a rocky wall and grew curious when he saw light at the end of it. He carefully swam into the hole, easily moving through it as it was open enough for someone of his size to go through.

Swimming through the entrance, he took a breath, still amazed that he could breath underwater without gills. It was thrilling.

He happened to glance up then and saw a great white shark circling the water above him, but suddenly turned when something cut through the water. Curious, he swam a bit closer, careful to avoid alerting the shark, and discovered it was a surfboard. He broke the surface of the water with just the top of his head so that his eyes were visible and he could watch.

He saw a teenage girl surfing and she was smiling, looking so care-free. He watched her, but noticed the shark was getting closer and then a large wave was coming for the girl and it swelled up behind her. He realized with horror that she didn't see it and the top of the wave was going to crash down on her. He knew a little about surfing and remembered once seeing a professional surfing through the tube of water, but he had to stay close to the wall of water to avoid getting slammed off the surfboard.

Vortech immediately began swimming fast, but to his horror, the wave hit the girl dead on and knocked her unconscious and off her surfboard. "No!" He exclaimed, fear gripping him as he swam towards her, seeing the shark was starting to circle close to the girl. He hoped she wasn't bleeding, but even he knew that sharks could attack if hungry.

He was soon near the girl and saw that while she wasn't bleeding, she was unconscious and she started to slip under the water. He dove fast and saw the shark beginning to advance too. "Oh no, you don't," he said and shot out a few water orbs, which slammed into the shark, surprising it.

While it was distracted, Vortech dove deeper and caught the girl, but he knew he had to get her to the surface or she'd drown. Sending some more water orbs at the shark while he swam quickly to the surface, he was relieved when the shark finally swam away, uninterested now.

They made it to the surface and Vortech carried the girl to the shore, finding a sandy spot hidden behind some large rocks. Spotting a bag nearby that he assumed was hers, he grabbed it and went behind the rocks, laying the girl down on a flat rock before removing his helmet and began doing mouth-to-mouth CPR, pressing both hands to the left side of her upper chest and began chest compressions, again doing mouth-to-mouth when he saw she was still unconscious. "Please, wake up," he pleaded.

He was about to do more mouth-to-mouth when she suddenly jolted, waking up and coughing up water. Recalling what to do next, Vortech gently rolled the girl to her side, which helped her to cough up the rest of the water that had gotten into her lungs. As her breathing evened out, he carefully placed an ear to her back, listening to her lungs, which now sounded clear, to his relief. He let out a relieved sigh and saw the girl sit up and look around. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

She gasped and turned to see him, his appearance making her eyes go wide and her mouth hung open in shock. He smiled gently. "No need for alarm. I don't bite," he said.

She then noticed that his skin looked wet and realization came to her face. "Did you...save me?" She asked.

He nodded. "What do you remember?" He asked.

She took a deep breath as she stared at the rocks for a moment. "Something hit me pretty hard," she said.

"The wave," he said. "It shot up behind you and came down too fast for you to get out of the way."

She nodded. "I...I guess it knocked me out," she said before looking at him. "What happened then?"

"Well, I was in the water and saw you fall off your surfboard and saw a shark circling close by," he said. "I managed to reach you in time before the shark did."

She looked at him. "Then...I wasn't dreaming? You shot balls at that shark?" She asked.

Realizing the girl must have seen him before fully losing consciousness, he nodded. "Water orbs," he said. "The shark lost interest and that allowed me to get you up here to perform CPR and mouth-to-mouth as you wake up after we made it to the surface."

She recalled feeling something warm covering her mouth right before she sat up. She looked at him and smiled. "Then, I owe you a big thank you," she said. "You saved me."

Relieved that she didn't seem to mind that he had done CPR on her (then again, he had done it to save her life), he modestly shrugged. "I couldn't just do nothing," he admitted.

She smiled and went over to him. "Can I thank you?" She asked.

He gave her a confused look. "Um, yes?" He said, curious as to what she meant.

His eyes widened in shock when she kissed him on the cheek. He froze and swallowed hard when she gently pulled away. "Sorry," she said, realizing she had surprised him and that she had been so bold. "I...I'm not sure why I wanted to do that."

He blinked before shaking his head to get his senses and he smiled gently. "It's alright," he said. "And you're welcome."

She smiled at him again. "So, who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Vortech," he replied. "You?"

"Sabrina," she said. "I'm sixteen."

Now he was a bit worried, but saw her smile and place a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, easy," she said. "What's wrong?"

"Well...I...I performed CPR on you...,"

She gently held up a hand to stop his sentence. "Hey, I know you didn't do anything inappropriate," she said. "You saved me. If you hadn't been here, I would have died."

Vortech relaxed and smiled. "I'm glad I was here to help," he said. "But...I've never seen a beach like this before. What part of Skylands is this place?"

Sabrina looked at him in confusion. "Skylands?" She repeated. "Um, we're in California."

His eyes widened. "On Earth?" He asked, recalling some things Isabel told him about Earth.

"Yeah," the sixteen-year-old said before she looked at him. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"No," he said. "I...I don't know how I got from Skylands to here. I didn't use a portal."

Sabrina cocked her head curiously. "Wait, you're an alien?" She asked.

He gave it some thought. "Well, I guess I am, in a way," he admitted. "But not from the sky. From another dimension."

"Cool," she said with a smile.

He seemed relieved she wasn't freaked out by him, but he looked at her seriously. "Sabrina, promise you won't tell anyone?" He asked.

She nodded. "I promise," she said. "In return for you saving my life, I'll keep your secret. Though, I am curious, how did you get to me so fast? I didn't see you in the water."

He smiled and closed his eyes, revealing his merman side to her. She gasped in surprise, her eyes wide with awe. "Whoa," she breathed out. "So you're a half-alien, half-merman, right?"

"Yes," he said. "But you can't say a word to anyone."

"Don't worry, I won't," she promised. "I doubt anyone would even take me seriously if I did. Plus, to know something that no one else knows is pretty cool."

Vortech smiled before looking around. "Is your family nearby?" He asked, hoping he could get her to them.

Her smile dipped a little and she sighed. "I live about five miles from here," she said. "I took the bus down here to escape my dad."

He looked concerned and quickly glanced at the girl's arms, but saw no bruises. "What do you mean?" He prodded gently.

Sabrina sighed. "Promise you won't laugh?" She asked.

He shook his head. "I won't laugh," he promised.

She took a deep breath. "I love surfing," she said. "It's practically my life."

He smiled. "You do seem passionate about it and you're very good at it," he said.

"Thanks, and I am," she said with a smile before frowning a little. "My parents are wealthy and we live in a huge house." She paused. "My mom supports my love of surfing, but she worries about the dangers of surfing."

Vortech nodded. "There are some dangers, if you're not careful," he said. "But from what I've seen, you're both careful and responsible. It's not your fault that wave caught you off guard. Even if it hadn't slammed down on you or if you had managed to get under it, you still might have wiped out and possibly drowned."

"Thanks," she said. "I try to be careful and I promise my mom that I'll be careful whenever I come out here."

He smiled, but noticed she didn't mention her father. "What about your father?" He asked curiously.

Sabrina's eyes narrowed and she sighed. "He's such a sexist," she said, her voice bitter with anger. "He wants to do ballet or ice skating. And not for competition, but just for show."

Vortech looked confused. "Just for show?" He asked before it dawned on him. "You mean he wants you to be like a porcelain trinket to be looked at and admired?!" He said in shock.

"Exactly!" She said before looking at him. "Wow, you really understand, don't you?"

He nodded. "While ballet and ice skating are wonderful to watch, you should do what you're passionate about," he said. "And you have a natural talent for surfing."

"Try telling that to my father," she said, her voice bitter again. "He argues with me everyday about my love of surfing and tries to get me to do ballet or ice skating and I keep telling him 'no'. And today...he threatened to leave me at home while he and Mom go to my aunt's house for Christmas if I didn't agree to do ballet or ice skating like he wants me to."

That made Vortech angry and he took a breath to calm down. "Any sport or hobby shouldn't be a 'one-sex-only' thing," he said. "My best friend back where I'm from is a skilled swordswoman and one of her best friends is a female ninja."

Sabrina looked at him with wide eyes. "Your friend is a girl and she works with swords? And her friend is a girl who's a ninja?" She asked in surprise.

"Yes," he said. "And not just her friend. Her friend's little sister is training to be a ninja, but is quite skilled at her young age."

"Wow," the sixteen-year-old said. "I wish I had friends like that."

"You don't?" He asked.

She shook her head sadly and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, if you'd like, I'll not only be your friend, but I'll help you too," he said.

"How?" She asked.

"I'll help your father see how much surfing means to you," he said. "By the way, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there a competition for surfers just like there are competitions for ice skaters and ballet dancers?"

"Yes," she said, smiling as she reached into her bag and pulled out a colorful poster. "A junior surfing competition is going to take place in three days, right after the kiddie surfing competition."

He looked at it and saw it was broken into three categories: Kiddie Surfing, Junior Surfing, and Adult Surfing. The winners would receive trophies. He smiled. "Are you going to enter?" He asked.

She nodded. "It's forty dollars to enter and I've been saving my allowance for almost a whole year," she said. "Sign-ups are tomorrow."

He smiled. "Well then, why don't you sign up for it tomorrow?" He suggested.

"If I can get my mom or dad to take me to the sign-up place," she said. "My mom has to work and my dad won't because he won't approve."

Vortech smiled. "Well, I'll take you there," he said. "I can teleport you there."

Sabrina looked at him. "For real?" She asked hopefully.

He nodded and she hugged him. "Thanks, Vortech," she said before standing up. "Come on. Why don't you come meet my parents and maybe stay for dinner?"

"That sounds wonderful," he said.

* * *

They were walking down the street when a boy came up to them. "Hey, Sabrina," he said. "What's up?"

She rolled her eyes. "Get lost, Chris," she said, turning away from him.

"Hey, come on," he said, taking her arm. "How about we go to a movie? Or maybe a romantic dinner for two?"

She tried to pull her arm free, but he didn't let go. Vortech arched an eyebrow and grabbed Chris' wrist firmly, making him let go of Sabrina. "She gave you her answer," he said firmly. "Now kindly leave this young lady alone."

Chris glared at him. "Hey, who are you to say what I do with my girlfriend?" He demanded.

Sabrina turned to him, her eyes cold. "Chris, I'm not your girlfriend, and I'll never go on a date with you for two reasons," she said. "One: I don't even like you and two: you just want to date me because my parents are wealthy. Well, guess what? I don't hang around people that want to be my friend just because my family's rich."

He looked at her. "Come on, Sabrina," he said, trying to be suave. "I bet you'd be great arm candy too."

Oh, that took the cake. Sabrina swung around and punched Chris in the face, making him stagger back in shock as she glared at him. "Don't. Ever. Come. Near. Me. Again," she said warningly.

"If you do, you'll answer to me," Vortech growled before placing a hand on Sabrina's shoulder and gently guiding her away from the punk.

The sixteen-year-old growled angrily. "How dare he!" She said angrily. "Arm candy. Is that all guys think of girls? Is that we're just arm candy for them until they get tired of us?!"

"I don't," the former villain said gently. "And you're way too good for him, Sabrina. He's not even of your caliber."

She looked at him. "What do you mean by that?" She asked curiously.

"In other words, he's not worth your time and definitely not worth associating with," Vortech said. "You're a smart girl and you deserve friends who will accept you for who you are and you deserve a boyfriend that will treat you with respect and not pressure you into anything."

She smiled. "Thanks, Vortech," she said softly.

Just then, another person came towards them and Sabrina groaned. "Katie," she said, not looking forward to talking to the girl.

"Sabrina," Katie said snippily. "Still at your 'man sport'? No wonder you can't find a date. Only beautiful girls get dates."

Sabrina looked at her. "You can't seem to get a date either," she pointed out.

Katie's face turned red and she snarled. "Surfing isn't for girls," she said, speaking loud enough that some people began to gather around, making Vortech glad that he had changed into his human disguise before he and Sabrina had left the beach. "You're so pathetic for having a passion for a 'man's sport' and not only that, you're so clumsy it's a wonder you can even stay on the board."

Sabrina glared at her. "FYI, I can stay on my board pretty good," she said. "In fact, I'm going to enter the Junior Surfing competition and I'm going to win that trophy."

Katie sneered. "As if," she said. "I'll be the one with a trophy at the fashion show tomorrow night."

The sixteen-year-old looked at her. "Really?" She asked, looking unimpressed.

"Yes, really," the other girl said. "My dreams of being a fashion model, which is a real girl's thing, are going to come true." She then gave Sabrina a nasty look. "And don't think Chris is going to be there for you at your little fake competition."

Sabrina scoffed and rolled her eyes. "As if I want him there," she said. "He's so not my type."

"Don't you dare talk about Chris that way!" Katie said.

Vortech arched an eyebrow at that, but was getting tired of this snobby rich girl humiliating his friend. "Oh, do you like him? Have a crush on him?" He asked, catching Katie's attention. "Perhaps you can ask him to go to the fashion show with you? If you're wealthy enough for him."

The crowd 'oohed' at the jab and Katie's face went bright red in anger, making Sabrina smile. "Guess what, Katie?" She said, loud enough for everyone to hear, including Chris, who apparently couldn't take the hint. "If you want Chris, you are more than welcome to have that slime ball. But just fair warning, he'll probably treat you like arm candy."

Katie glared at her. "What?" She asked, her teeth clenched.

"Oh, yeah," the sixteen-year-old said. "In fact, that's what he told me. He thinks of girls as nothing more than arm candy."

Vortech nodded. "I heard him say that too, which I felt was very rude of him to say. He obviously doesn't care about your feelings and that you don't like him being around other girls," he said before looking at Sabrina. "Come, my dear. We wouldn't want to be late for your next surfing lesson tomorrow now, would we? Though I have no doubt you'll sweep through those waves like a pro."

Sabrina smiled at him. "You're right. I wouldn't want to be late for that," she said as they walked away, leaving a red-faced Katie, an awed and now-gossiping crowd, and a boy with a scowl behind.

They soon arrived and Sabrina laughed, hugging Vortech. "Thanks for helping me out back there," she said. "Ugh! That Chris is so annoying!"

"I agree," the former villain said, sitting in a nearby chair.

Dinner didn't go too well that night as Sabrina's father again tried to force her to do ballet or ice skating and she refused. Sabrina's mother tried to keep the peace and was a bit worried when she heard that Sabrina had fallen off her surfboard that day, but Sabrina insisted she was fine and she knew to be careful.

Vortech watched from the shadows, shaking his head as he saw the father get upset and yell at Sabrina while the mother sought to be peacekeeper. But it didn't work. Sabrina left the table and went up to her room, asking the maid to bring up two grilled-cheese sandwiches and two bowls of tomato soup. The maid didn't question it and soon wheeled in a cart with the food. Thanking her, Sabrina turned and looked around for Vortech. "Vortech? Are you there?" She asked in a whisper.

He appeared from behind the curtains. "I'm here," he said.

She smiled and gestured to the food. Smiling, he joined her, enjoying the meal before he looked at her. "Sabrina, what would make your father listen to you and see that you love surfing and that it's a big part of you?" He asked.

"Nothing short of a trophy, I'll bet," she said with a sigh, looking upset. "Ugh, I think I'm going to hit the hay. I don't feel so good."

He didn't argue, seeing she was still upset about the day and he couldn't blame her. He let her have her privacy while she got into her pajamas and he appeared again beside her as she tried to fall asleep, but couldn't. He reached out and began gently stroking Sabrina's head, hoping it would help her sleep.

After a little bit, he noticed that his friend's face seemed calmer and his hand was glowing a bluish-green color and it seemed that with each stroke of his hand on her head, Sabrina's face relaxed more until she looked so peaceful. He smiled and his hands glowed more, making him realize that he was calming her down with just a touch, a healing touch that helped a person's emotions.

As he saw this, he got an idea.

* * *

 _The next day..._

Sabrina signed up for the competition with Vortech beside her and he smiled when he saw something. "Hey, look over there," he said.

She looked to see Chris and Katie kissing and she cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "Well, I didn't expect that," she admitted. "Wonder how they ended up together?"

"Oh, perhaps deep down they realized that they really liked each other and that deep down, they could be good people if they changed their attitudes," he said casually.

As they passed by, they caught a bit of the conversation. "Well, I got second place," Katie said, sounding a little sad. "I was really shooting for first."

"Hey, you're a winner to me, beautiful," Chris said. "And guess what? One of my dad's friends is a fashion designer and he told my dad that he liked the fashions you wore and he wanted to get in touch with your father to see if you could be a model for one of the biggest fashion magazines in California."

"He did?" Katie asked. "Which magazine?"

"Your favorite one," the boy said with a smile.

The girl gasped. "Really?" She asked in surprise.

He nodded. "See, baby? You did win first place after all, in scoring a modeling job for that magazine."

She squealed and kissed him before spotting Sabrina and waving to her. "Oh, Sabrina! Before I forget, good luck tomorrow!" She called out and to Sabrina's surprise, Katie sounded sincere. "Show the others how it's done!"

"Uh, sure," Sabrina said, trying to get over her surprise. "Thanks, Katie."

"Oh, yeah, good luck," Chris said, also sounding sincere. "And by the way, you rock as a surfer, Sabrina."

"I couldn't agree more," Katie said with a sincere smile.

Thanking them again, Sabrina looked at Vortech in confusion and saw him smile, which clued her in that he knew something she didn't. "Okay, what did you do?" She asked.

"Oh, just used one of my powers to bring out their true feelings and to get them to stop bullying you," he said, smiling again.

She smiled. "Thanks," she said, hugging him.

Meanwhile in Skylands, Isabel was getting worried. "Where is Vortech?" She asked.

Master Eon searched and smiled. "Hmm. Seems like he found his way to Earth and found someone who needs help," he said, showing Isabel what Vortech and Sabrina had gone through so far. "That girl is Sabrina and it looks like Vortech is going to help her show her father that her passion is surfing and that it means a lot to her. She'll be in a competition tomorrow."

Isabel smiled, proud of her friend. He really cared about others now and it sounded like he was doing good wherever he was. "How did he get to the human world?" She asked curiously.

"He found a passage between our worlds," Master Eon said gently. "Don't worry. I'll have a portal ready for when he's ready to return."

The Undead Portal Master nodded and had an idea. "Could you by chance be able to show us all that surfing competition for all of us to see?" She asked.

* * *

 _Back on Earth..._

Vortech sighed and put his plan into action, using his powers to project some images of Sabrina surfing and doing it like a pro. He even used his new power to help bring out people's better emotions. Sabrina's father saw the images but couldn't see where they were coming from as Vortech was hiding in the shadows, but the man felt impressed as he watched the videos of Sabrina surfing the waves and keeping her balance on the board, doing tricks that would impress any choreographer. The former villain placed his hands on Sabrina's father's shoulders lightly, using his power to help with the man's emotions. "Sabrina loves to surf," he said softly to the man, keeping his voice low. "It's in her blood. It's a part of her. It's a ballet on the water. And ice skating without the ice."

The man watched, unable to stop watching as his daughter gracefully performed amazing tricks. Vortech decided to suggest something. "You should go watch her today," he said softly. "She's going to enter the competition and she's going to go for the trophy."

He then carefully moved away and made the images slowly fade. When they did, he watched the man stand up and look out the window before reaching for his phone.

"Hello? Yes. I'm sorry, please give my apologies to the owner. Something that I can't miss has come up," he said and hung up the phone, making a few more calls and sending his regrets before he left the room, smiling. "Sweetheart, do you know where my khaki shorts and Hawaiian shirt are?" He asked his wife.

"I believe they're in the drawers," his wife responded, sounding surprised.

Vortech grinned before teleporting, finding a good spot to watch the competition. He then saw Sabrina getting her board ready and he came up to her. "Good luck, Sabrina," he said.

She grinned. "Thanks, Vortech," she said. "Are you going to watch?"

"Watch and cheer you on," he said. "I wouldn't miss it for anything."

Grinning again, she hugged him and then grabbed her board, ready to face the waves and the competition.

Vortech smiled as the competition began and the surfers were tearing up the waves with all they had. He then spotted Sabrina's father out of the corner of his eye and the man had his phone out and was recording the competition, obviously searching for Sabrina.

Suddenly, her name was called and she took to the waves, riding them and doing tricks, making the crowd cheer. Her father filmed it all, watching with awe. "She really does love surfing," he said to himself and watched how she handled a wave that had knocked a boy surfer off his board. "And she knows how to handle those waves too."

Sabrina grinned as she rode the waves and pulled off the tricks she had been practicing for a while now. From where he was watching, Vortech could see she was in the zone, moving with the waves as if they were an extension of her, making the crowd cheer.

The competition soon ended and the winners were announced and the crowd cheered loudly when Sabrina accepted the first place trophy. She turned to find Vortech, but gasped in surprise when she saw her father there and he was cheering, a big smile on his face. He walked up to her and gave her a giant hug. "Honey, I'm so proud of you," he said. "And I'm sorry. I...I shouldn't have been forcing you to do ballet or ice skating. Surfing is what you are good at and it is like a ballet on the water or ice skating without the ice."

She blinked at him before she smiled. "So, can I go to surfing lessons?" She asked hopefully.

"Yes," he said with a smile. "I've hired the best instructors and...I hope you don't mind...I signed you up for the yearly surfing competition that is in a few months. It took a little convincing to get them to let you sign up, but I persuaded them and they agreed."

Sabrina gasped happily and hugged her father, happy that he understood and that she could surf and that she had a chance to win the big competition.

It was nearly dinnertime when she and Vortech made it back to the beach. "Vortech, thank you so much," Sabrina said. "You're amazing."

"I'm glad I could help, Sabrina," he said with a smile. "You remind me so much of my friend."

She grinned and they saw a glowing portal appear, which made Sabrina gasp and Vortech smile. "There's my way home," he said.

She smiled. "Bye, Vortech," she said softly. "If you're ever around again, how about a surfing match? With your friends too?"

He nodded. "Sounds like fun," he said and nodded. "Bye, Sabrina."

With that, he teleported her back to her home and jumped into the portal to Skylands. Landing lightly on his feet, he turned around just in time to be tackle-hugged to the floor and saw Isabel was hugging him hard. "Vortech, are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

He smiled. "I'm alright, Izzy," he said before grabbing her. "How about we go swimming?"

Not giving her a chance to answer, he ran for the water, diving in with her laughing as they both swam around and Rattle Shake joined in, his son on his back.

Master Eon smiled. "I knew he was the right one to wield the pearl's power," he said to himself.

For you see, it was the pearl that allowed Vortech to cross between Skylands and the human world to help Sabrina, who now, thanks to a true friendship, could pursue her dreams of being a professional surfer.

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 **GoldGuardian2418**


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